Over 400 passengers were evacuated from the Tren de las Nubes (Train to the clouds) early this morning in the province of Salta.

The train, popular among tourists for its stunning views and high altitude trek, suffered two technical malfunctions, first in the principal engine and then in the auxiliary.

The first incident occurred on Friday evening, about 217 kilometres away from the provincial capital of Salta. The train was stopped for three hours while engineers changed over to the auxiliary engine.

Shortly after resuming the journey, the second engine began experiencing problems, something train manager Juan Cabrera called “almost statistically impossible.”

After engineers worked for six hours to repair the auxiliary engine to no avail, the city government of Salta sent ten buses to evacuate the stranded tourists. The evacuation was completed early this morning.

“The experience of the train is fantastic”, Cabrera said, “but when something like this happens, it’s a real headache.”

A Swiss tourist travelling in Argentina has claimed that she was raped by a taxi driver in Salta. The victim was doing volunteer work in the area, organised through the Anglican Church.

The incident involving a 21 year old tourist is the latest in a string of similar cases that have occurred recently in the area. A Mexican girl as well as a female tourist from the US have both reported similar stories.

According to a local paper, El Tribuno, the incident occurred as the victim got a taxi near the bus station on Saturday.

The young tourist is said to have headed to the Anglican Church after the incident to get help, then to the police station to report what happened. She described the attacker in detail and there are hopes that he will be caught soon.

The tourist, who speaks good Spanish, spoke to the driver, telling him she needed to buy certain things before going home to her country. The driver then took her to an area that she did not recognise, where the attack is said to have happened.

Tests later revealed evidence of sexual abuse, and CCTV tapes have also provided indications of what happened.

“We are going to resolve this case urgently, to make the area safe for residents and visitors,” said Marcelo Lami, chief of police in Salta, to el Tribuno.

When Argentines tire of the city and the sweltering heat, where do they go? Whether you are a posh jet-setter, outdoors enthusiast, or just someone looking for a quiet place to sun on the beach, the southern hemisphere has you taken care of.

Punta Del Esteby (Photo: Zhu)

Although this particular beach resort town makes its home in Uruguay, the trendy and glamorous of Buenos Aires like to make this city the key to their summer getaway, particularly in the first weeks of January. Few areas rival this once quiet fishing town in glitter and glitz as it has now become a staple in the Argentine vacation diet packed with shopping, innumerable restaurants for a night out and casinos for afterwards.

Like its Argentine counterpart, Mar del Plata, Punta del Este becomes jam packed with tourists and Argentines, yet despite the sheer number of visitors every year it still manages to provide a ritzier experience than its doppelganger.

Exclusive nighttime parties and the beach are the main things on visitor’s itinerary here, however various attractions continue to treat tourists. From Faro de Punta del Este, the lighthouse that dates back to 1860, to the docks, where nightly walks taken can bring in a view of harbour lights and ships pulling in, there is more to be had than nightlife, dining after the sun sets on a day spent at the beach.

A ferry and bus ride from Buenos Aires will get you to Punta del Este in a matter of hours. But be warned – the boats that make the trip across the Río de la Plata sell out over the holidays and early January, so book your ticket early to avoid disappointment.

The more modest sister of Mar de Plata, Pinamar offers beautiful beaches and lush pine forests — a polar change from the concrete forests of Buenos Aires. A familiar vacation spot for porteños, it just known enough by tourists make this gem a few hours from Buenos Aires a cool destination when the weather turns hot. Pinamar is just one of a handful of seaside beach towns along this particular strip of Argentina’s Atlantic coast, and is an escape from the crowds that flock to Mar de Plata each summer.

The slightly less busy beach city hosts beautiful and tranquil resorts for those who seek luxuries found in the form of many rich seafood and grill restaurants, a shopping centre and nightlife.

Though it has a reputation as a ‘resort town’, Pinamar has something for everyone — some mild researching on hotel and travel sites can land you with lovely experience for less. Aside from the shops and the shells, Pinamar’s famous forests and dunes have many tours by foot, ATV or even horseback rides — building your own Pinamar experience couldn’t be better provided for.

Information on hotels, activities, tours and restaurants. www.welcomeargentina.com/pinamar/outings.html

Another of Uruguay’s beach destinations, Punta Del Diablo is worlds apart from its southern sister, Punta del Este. Here you are more likely to find backpackers sporting Havaianas camping than soap stars in heels staying in exclusive mansions. Its name may make it seem barren, dry or simply no different from the heat you’re currently experiencing in Buenos Aires — however, this beachside town is nothing like an inferno.

Punta Del Diablo is known for its plethora of beaches and excellent surf atmosphere. The once-sleepy fishing village is a traveller’s dream — complete with fish markets, horseback tours, cabins for rent, hostels and villas galore.

Though not as quiet as it used to be, Punta del Diablo is still a nice change of pace, and there are secluded treasures to be found.

Spending a day on the beach, or evenings seeking out a devilishly delicious place to eat. While there are some more historical or touristy sights worth mentioning like the Saint Teresa Fort, dating from 1762, or the Black Lagoon (Laguna Negra) which is a prime location for bird watching – Punta del Diablo is what it is; a chilled beach town getaway.

For more information visit www.portaldeldiablo.com.uy

The aforementioned beach destinations of Uruguay and Argentina receive flocks of visitors every year, but Las Grutas, the cliffside beaches of the Río Negro province in Patagonia, appeal to a different kind of crowd.

You won’t find chic high-rise hotels or high-end shopping despite a casino here and a tourist knick-knacks there, but that doesn’t stop Argentines from heading south to these beaches on an annual basis. Everyone in Las Grutas is enjoying mate – or its cold, refreshing juice counterpart tereré – with friends or sharing an ice cream with the kids on the beach.

Much more family beach town than resort getaway, the dusty streets of Las Grutas play host to innumerable hostels, hotels and beach houses — not to mention waterfront restaurants upon the cliffs.

The perfect beach for sand volleyball, exploring the tide pools as the sea retreats for the day, or watching the sunrise over the Atlantic after a long night out, Argentina style. Share some calamari and a Quilmes to cool your tan, enjoy the view from the cliffs and the colorful parrots that live in them — just some of the many simple pleasures of Las Grutas.

For more information visit www.interpatagonia.com/lasgrutas

Entre Ríos is the answer for trying to please your entire vacation group. The riverside beaches are calmer than Punta del Este and Pinamar, and there are also hot springs, lakes and forests thrown into the provincical mix.

Not hugely sought out for its shops and sunbathing spots, Entre Ríos is a quiet answer to bustling city life. But the experiences that are to be had in the province satisfy a myriad of tastes as unique and different as they come.

Hot springs with their healing qualities are found dotting the province from La Paz to Federación — making them popular destinations for a more local crowd. And Colón hosts several beaches for sunning, a casino and even a couple areas for those who love water sports. There are also many lakes in the region, as well as historical stops along the way like San José Palace, home of modern Argentina’s first president, Justo José de Urquiza.

Away from the limelight, the Entre Ríos region of northeastern Argentina draws in its own crowd with alternative beauty and modest charm.

For information on the hot springs, visit www.termasdeentrerios.com

Photo by Stephanie Santana

Maybe it’s the result of too many field trips in primary school, but for whatever reason I have an extreme aversion to group tours. Shuffling around a busy city in a crowd of strangers while straining to hear a guide speak is just not for me.

There has to be another way. And, in a city full of creativity, of course there is: enter the world of bike tours, and the company Urban Biking.

Based in the city of Buenos Aires the company offers four distinct tours, two of which are half-day (four hours long) and run twice a day, everyday, at 9am and 2pm. A tour of northern Buenos Aires, appropriately called, “The North,” covers Retiro, Barrio Parque, Palermo Woods, Palermo Soho, and Recoleta. The other half-day tour offered, “The South,” covers the city’s southern areas, Puerto Madero, the city’s ecological reserve, La Boca, San Telmo and Plaza de Mayo. An additional tour, “Porteño Nightlife,” sets off at 9pm in order to let tourists see the city lit up at night. Finally, a full-day tour in Tigre lets participants explore the island by land and by sea, adding kayaking to the mix.

While the price of this full-day option seems pretty steep at US$ 82, and the nighttime tour running US$45, the two daytime tours are each US$35. After doing some internet research, I found that the daytime tour price is about the same as that charged by other companies offering the same service. Figuring that would be the better deal I opted for the tour ‘The South’.

A little after 2pm on a Sunday I arrive at the e-mailed meeting point of Santa Fe 702, ‘Museo de Armas’. I spot a group of five people clustered around six bicycles. Pleasantly surprised by the smallness of our group, I introduce myself and am handed a complimentary bottle of water and helmet for the day. Everyone is dressed pretty casually, a mix of jeans, kahkis and sweatpants, letting on that we are in for an easy ride.

Kickstands up, we’re off towards Puerto Madero. As we gaze from the pier towards El  Puente de la Mujer, our group is told about the nineteenth century construction of the port and its revival as a result of foreign investment. There’s time for photos and then we push through the Sunday crowds to ride on towards the ecological reserve. I linger towards the back of our pack to practice some Spanish with the guide bringing up the rear. Having just heard that the neglected grassy plot of land in front of me is one of many spaces that had been cleared out for a bridge-to-nowhere type project commissioned by the dictatorship, we begin to talk history and politics.

Photo by Stephanie Santana

The conversation continues as we ride through, not around, some of the rougher spots in La Boca. I’m impressed that the guides take us on a route that lets us see some of the grit and poverty that lies beyond the explosion of colour and feigned  elegance of Caminito.  When we all sit down to chat and enjoy mate and alfajores, I get the feeling that our guides genuinely like giving the bike tours. They seem interested in imparting to us the reality of Buenos Aires and the subtleties that have shaped the city. In any tourist type situation there’s an often uncomfortable dynamic at play, but here I feel treated like an equal with my guides. This is something in itself that makes the experience more memorable than similar other activities in which I’ve taken part.

Urban Biking Tours include Bike, helmet, tour guide, mate, alfajores, a bottle of water, and traveller’s insurance for the duration of the tour. Private bike tours of the city of Buenos Aires during the day are offered for US$ 70, at night US$90 and of Tigre for US$162. Tours can be booked, and paid for via PayPal and some major credit cards online.

For more information about Urban Biking call 4568 4321, e-mail  info@urbanbiking.com,  or visit the website:  http://en.urbanbiking.com

A pregnant tourist was killed on Wednesday after being abducted while on a morning jog in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sarah Kuszak, a US national, was thrown in to the boot of a car and managed to make a desperate call for help on her phone. She was found dead an hour later with her throat slit.

Kuszak gave a description of her kidnapper’s car during her last phone call and police arrested a local man, Eliezer Marquez Navero, whose clothing was covered in blood. He was not immediately charged.

“He saw the woman and kidnapped her,” said Lieutenant Angel Ocasio. “He didn’t take anything. He stole her life.”

According to investigating officer, Arsenio Rodriguez, the man was caught because a signal from the victim’s mobile phone was picked up by the FBI and when stopped he was found with the phone.

The suspect’s explanation for the blood was that his brother owned horses and one of them had been cut, said Rodriguez.

Kuszak, originally from San Francisco, who had moved to Savannah, Georgia five years ago, arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday to meet her fiancé and some friends.

“She was looking forward to the rest of her life with her fiancé and her unborn baby,” said her friend Matt Daniel in a telepone interview. He added: “I’m just devastated. I don’t know who would do something like that.”

Kuszak, a part-time real estate agent and caterer, who also worked on sailboats, was five months pregnant, according to friends.

She had met her fiancé, Cheshire McIntosh, several years ago while she was vacationing on a South Pacific island, while he was sailing a yacht, said another friend, John Everette.

At the time of the incident, Kuszak was apparently on her way to visit some friends whose yacht was docked at a marina in Fajardo, said marina spokeswoman Frances Rios. After being kidnapped, Kuszak used her mobile phone to call a marina employee from the boot of the car who then dialled 911, said Lt. Ocasio.

Reasons why Kuszak didn’t call 911 directly are still unclear. It was suggested that she may not have known that 911 was the same emergency number used in the US Caribbean territory as well as the mainland.

As the case is still under investigation, the police would not release the marina employee’s 911 transcript.